Weeder



Aug. 12, 1924n 1,504,966 M. OLSEN WE'EDER Original Filed Oct. 28, 1922 FWZ.

v 10 ze til Patented ling, l/", 1924i,

WEEDER.

Original application filed October 28, 1922, Serial No. 597,576. Divided and this September 5, 1923.

To all LU/m it may concern.' j

Be it known that l, Marinas Oiismv citizen of the United States, residing at Dutton, in the county of rIeton and State of h/iontana, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Weeders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to weeding apparatus and is a division of application, Serial Number 59",?, iiled Oct. 28, 1922, and has for one of its objects to improve the construction and increase the efficiency and utility of devices of this character.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character including a drum carrying a plurality of longitudinally directed freely swinging blades, and with the construction of the blades and the means whereby they are supported.

Vl/lith these and other objects in view, the

invention consists in certain novel features of construction as hereinafter shown and ydescribed and then specifically pointed out in the claims, and in the drawings illustrative of the preferred embodiment of the invention; v v

Figure 1 is a transverse section of the im proved apparatus, g

Figure 2 is a plan view, foreshortened,

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail of one of the radiating arms, vpartly in section.,

Figure 4 is yan enlarged detached perspec-v tive view of a part of one of the floating',

blades.

The improved device comprises in genera y a supporting Vframe mounted on carrierwheels, a drum movably supported relative to said frame and yliai'ing a plurality of weed eradicating blades, with means forpermitting the rotation of the drum and locking it inV position with the lowermost blade in operative'position, and to release therfdrum to permit the blades to automatically vand f intermediate member 12, and inner longi- 1 tudinai members 15 and 16 connected at their ends respectively to the forward and rear members 1() and 11 and 'to the interapplication filed serial no. stessi.

Vwhile similar bearings 21 and 22 are attached yrespectively to the fra-me members 214 and 16 and support the journal or'aXle Vof Vbearing wheel 24.

Attached tov the forward frame member 10 near the ends are blocli: devices 25 in which bars 26ers pivoted at 27 to swing vertically and with Vsuitable braces 28 coupled respectively at one end at 29 to the bars 26 and pivoted at their other ends at 30 in block devices 31 attached to the frame member 10 and spaced from the Vber 32, and likewise connected to .the bars` 26 intermediate,their ends isr another and similar bar33. v

.Attached to the bars 26 midway between the -members 32 and 33 are bearings 34 in which a shaft 35 is mounted for rotation,

' and mounted on'the shaft just within the Vbars 26 and ata plurality of points intermediate the bars, are disk 'hubs 36, each '1 hub having'radially directed arms 37, four for each hub forl illustration.

it itsvouter end each ofthe `arms 37 is provided with a longitudinally directed slot 38 in which ournals 39 formed on the weed engaging blades 44),aremounted for rotation, eachblade having one knife edge( Thejournals 39 ofY the blades 40 are spaced fromv the ends and located at one 'side' of the centers of the blades, atintermediate points, oi" where the arms 37 areVV located. y l

The blades are held from displacement in the slot by stop pins 41. r1`he slots 39 permit the blades to be threaded7 through the arms 37 until the journals 39 of the blades are located Vrespectively in the slots, and then by inserting Vthe pins 41 through 'he arms, the blades can not be displaced whiie at the same time free to rotate on their journals.

Attached to the confronting faces of the members and '33K atpoints opposite the hubs 36 and arms 37 are holding plates 42, and attached to each set of the holding Sii plates is a supporting guard member 43, preferably curved as shown substantially concentric to the paths of the blades 40.

Formed infeach of the guard members 43 is a longitudinally directed slot 44, and attached to each of the guard members at each side of the slots 44 are bearings 45 to swingingly support rocker arms 46, each arm having downturned ends 47 and 48 operating through the slots 44 of the members 43. l

Rising from the member 33 at spaced intervals are standards 49 having bearings in their upper ends to support a rock shaft 50, and rising from the members 15 and 416 are standards 51 supporting another rock shaft 52;

Attached to the rock shaft 50 at points opposite each of the rocker arms 46 is another arm 53,V each of the latter being coupled by a linl54 to one of the rocker arms 46. By this means the rocking of the shaft 50 Will imparta corresponding rocking motion to the rocker arms and the downturned terminals V47 and 48 carried thereby, as hereinafter more fully described.

Attached to the rock shaft 52 near the ends are grooved segments 55 each having a lug 55 extending therefrom and each lug carrying an eye bolt 56. Connected to each eye bolt is a pull cable 57 Vwhich passes respectively over the grooved segments 55 and is attached at the other Vends to the members 32`near the ends. Rising from the framel members 15 and 16 are standards 58 carrying guide sheaves 5S over which the pull cables 57 lead, as shown.

By this arrangement when the shaft 52 is rocked, the drum carrying frame will be elevated or depressed, to bring the blades 46 into engagement lwith the ground, or ele vated clear of the ground, as required.

Extending over the frame members 10 and 12 is a bar 59, and attached to the bar is a toothed segment 60, and attached at one end to the rock shaft 52 is an operating lever 61 having a pawl device 62 engageable with the teeth of the segment. By this means the shaft 52 may be rocked to any required extent to control the position of the drum device.

Mounted to rotate freely on the rock shaft 52 is a treadle 68 having a foot engageable enlargement 64 at oneend and a longitudi-V nally directed slot 65 at the other end.

Attached to the rock Vshaft 50 is an arm 66 having a lateral'pin 67 extending through the slot 65, as shown, and attached to the arm 66 is a spring 68 operating to hold the Slotted end of the treadle yieldably in its lower position.

Attached to the rock shaft 52 at points opposite the outer standards 49 are supports 69 tovvhich yieldable stop arms 70 are rigidly attached as by clips 71, and eX- tending over the upper ends of the adjacent standards 49, the latter being extended above the rock shaft 50 as shown at 72 to receive the spring arms.

The spring arms operate to yieldably hold the drum carrying frame in its lower position, and prevent the frame and drum from being moved upwardly under normal conditions of the soil, but will yield when abnormal obstructions are encountered by the blades.

then not is use, or when being transported, the operating lever 61 will be turned to a substantially vertical position to cause the grooved segment 55 to exert a pulling force upon the pull cables 57 and thus elevate the drum frame and the drum of weed engaging blades carried thereby, and at the saine time elevate the springr arms 70 clear of the standards 49-72, so that they do not interfere with the elevation of the drum.

l/Vhen the weeder is to be employed, the operating lever 61 is depressed to release the strain on the pull cables 57 and permit the drum frame to move downwardly by gravity and thus dispose the lowermost blade 40 in position to engage the ground as the apparatus is moved forwardly by the tractive force, as will be obvious.

At the same time that the operating lever 61 is actuated to rock the shaft 52, the spring arms 70 will be engaged with the standards 49-72 to hold the drum yieldably in operative position, as before explained.

The blade 40 which for the time being is in the lowermost position is thus caused to move through the ground while the remaining blades are idle, or inactive.

So long as the lower or operative blade 40 runs freely through the soil, the arms 46 will hold the drum from rotation, but if the operative blade becomes clogged with Weeds, which is very liable to happen, the driver presses the forward end 64 of the treadle lever 63 downwardly to elevate the slotted end and correspondingly elevate the arm 66 against the resistance of the spring 68 and thus rock the shaft 50 and cause the members 46 to be tilted on their pivots and withdraw the stops or projections 47 from the paths of the arms 37, and permit the drum to be rotated by contact with the ground and thus carry the clogged blade rearwardly and upwardly and move the next unclogged blade to the lower position, and when the pressure on the treadle is removed the spring 68 will return the stop 47 into lower position into the path of the arm 37 which for the time being is uppermost, and thus check the rotation of the drum and hold the unclogged blade in lower operative position.

This action can be repeated as many times as there are blades, as will, be obvious.

Generally when the clogged blade is disllt) posed in its elevated and inoperative position, the weeds caught thereby will fall from the blade or be shaken therefrom by the forward motion of the apparatus, but if not the clogged blades can be easily cleared manually of the clogging weeds.

It will be noted that when the drum is released by pressure applied to the treadle, and the treadle is held downwardly, the rear stop 48 will hold the drum from rotating so that two of the blades will be in operative position, and if held in that position for a short time the space of ground between the two active blades will be acted on, and thus leave no gaps or untreated ground.

The improved device may be constructed of any suitable material and any size or capacity and-will be found especially applicable where a summer tilling of land is practiced, to eradicate the weeds or prevent their growth, especially in fields which are being summer fallowed or summer tilled.

The preferred embodiment ofthe invention is disclosed in the drawings and setforth in the specifications, but it will be understood that modifications within the scope of the claims may be made in the construction without departing from the principle of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus fully described the invention wh at is claimed as new is: Y/

l. In an apparatus of the class described a drum device including a plurality of radiating arms, each of said arms having a longitudinally directed closed slot, a weed eradicating blade having studs extending from the ends and rotatively engaging in said slots, each of said studs having a laterally directed head adapted to pass through the slots when the blade is disposed in one position and to rotatively lock the blades to the arms when in another position.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, a drinn device including a plurality of radiating arms and rotatively supported, each of said arms having a longitudinally directed slot and a stop pin transversely of the slot, and each having a journal spaced from the ends and engaging respectively in the slots of the arms and held from displacement by the stop pins.

In testimony whereof, I aiiix my signature hereto.

MATHIAS OLSEN. 

